Latest on 3 New iPhone Models; Apple in Talks to Buy Intel Smartphone Modem Biz; Google Settles on Age Discrimination Suit; Tesla- New Architecture for Robots to Install Car Wiring

Late rumors about the 3 upcoming iPhone models…the updates to the XS, XS Max, and XR, have Apple staying with the Lightening port, instead of moving to the USB-C like the iPad Pro received last year, and the MacBook Pros before that. According to 9to5mac.com, the XR will NOT be getting an OLED display like the XS and XS Max successors, but will stay with the same screen and resolution as the present model. All 3 phones will be getting an updated Taptic Engine, but 3D Touch will be going away…if that was something you ever used. The Taptic Touch requires a slightly longer press to get an additional function than 3D Touch. The XS and XS Max successors will get 3 rear cameras as has been touted in pictures and mock ups. One will be a wide angle shooter. The wide angle lens will also enable a feature called Smart Frame, which captures the area around the framed area in pictures and videos, so the user can later adjust the framing or crop the pictures later. The front facing cam will get an upgrade, including support for slo-mo recording at 120fps. All 3 phones will probably be shown off at an Apple event around the third week of September, as has been the case for the last several years.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is in advanced talks to acquire Intel’s smartphone modem business for a billion dollars. That bundle of cash would net Apple Intel’s patents and staff, and it could be sealed by the end of this week if all goes well. When Apple settled with Qualcomm, Intel had announced that it was getting out of the 5G smartphone modem business, and the company said they wanted to focus on its more profitable data infrastructure business. Apple has already been working on developing its own modem tech, but will rely on 5G modems from Samsung and Qualcomm in 2020.

Google has settled a lawsuit that accused them of discriminating against older job seekers. The tech giant will cough up $11 million dollars. CNET.com says they also agreed to train managers on age bias, and form a committee focused on age diversity, and to investigate age bias complaints. The suit had accused Google of a ‘systematic pattern or practice of age discrimination’ against job applicants who were 40 and over. Look for Google and other tech companies to now be more sneaky in the ways they find to discriminate against older workers.

A revolutionary new architecture for wiring harnesses that allows more robot automation in assembly and fewer materials has been revealed. According to Electrek.co, it will first be used in the Model Y compact SUV and the Tesla Pickup truck. Since the Model Y shares greatly with the Model 3, it will also find its way into that assembly line later. Elon Musk said the Model S has about 3 kilometers of wiring harnesses but they got it down to 1.5 for the Model 3. The new system will cut even that down to just 100 meters. In addition, it is built with a hub system and is more rigid, which allows robots to install it much more easily.